Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers transitioning to sustainable land management.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.

In the recent spending review, we allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history.

This means:

• Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29.
• Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme.
• And up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support jobs in the hospitality sector.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We recognise the vital role hospitality businesses play in driving economic growth and strengthening community cohesion across the country.

We also increased the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions (NICs) next year. This allows businesses to employ up to four full-time staff on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs and we’re committed to introducing permanently lower business rates for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure businesses with rateable values of less than £500,000.

We have recently launched Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), which help jobseekers move quickly into hospitality roles through flexible training and support. In addition the Hospitality Fund is backing projects that will include addressing skills gaps in the sector and boosting productivity.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the barriers to business growth in rural areas.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. Addressing the needs of businesses in rural areas is at the heart of our policymaking and we continue to revisit and improve our support offers. The upcoming Business Growth Service will unify existing core services nationally while delivering locally, collaborating with local and devolved governments and Growth Hubs.

All businesses, including rural enterprises, can access Local Growth Hubs for tailored support throughout their development journey. Growth hubs customise their offerings based on specific community needs, whether in towns or rural locations.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the delivery of affordable housing targets in 2023–24.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department published an update on targets for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme on 30 July 2024. This covers the 2023-24 period under the previous government. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many businesses have accessed the Help to Grow programme in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade publishes data on participant enrolments and completions on the Help to Grow: Management course among transparency documents on gov.uk linked here. Up to the end of March 2025, the programme has supported 11,850 business people since its launch in June 2021.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the export credit schemes run by UK Export Finance.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The recently-published UK Export Finance (UKEF) Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) for the last financial year show that it provided a record £14.5 billion of support for exports, supported up to 70,000 UK jobs, and contributed up to £5.4 billion to the UK economy. The report is available online, along with those from previous years, at: UK Export Finance annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of inflation on household disposable income.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per person includes all sources of household income, net of taxes and inflation.

In the year to Q1 2025 (2024/25) RHDI per capita was 2.9% higher than in the year prior (2023/24), the fastest pace of financial year growth since 2015/16.

HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy. Forecasts, including for real household disposable income per person, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). These forecasts are published by the OBR as part of their Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO).

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 forecast, RHDI per person was forecast to grow at an annual average of 0.5% over this parliament (Q3 2024 – Q2 2029).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with business groups on economic policy.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Government Ministers and Senior Officials regularly meet with businesses and business representation organisations. These meetings provide an opportunity for the Government to hear the views of the business community to aid in the formation of policy, including fiscal policy. These engagements are ongoing and will continue to be so.

Further information on previous meetings held by HM Treasury Ministers and can be found on the gov.uk website via this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve water quality in (a) rivers and (b) coastal areas.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The levels of water pollution are unacceptable. That is why cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas is a priority for the Government. We are taking action to address agricultural pollution and support farm businesses. We are, as a priority, working with farmers and environmental groups to improve farm pollution regulations to ensure they are simple and effective. We are also doubling funding for Environment Agency farm inspections to work with farmers to raise standards and have issued amended Statutory Guidance on the Farming Rules for Water to set clearer expectations on enforcing the rules. We continue to invest in our farmers through Environmental Land Management schemes.

Additionally, water companies are investing over £11 billion in PR24 (2025-2030), to improve nearly 3000 storm overflows across England and Wales.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle agricultural pollution in protected areas.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is firmly committed to safeguarding every aspect of our natural environment, including through reducing agricultural pollution. This approach aims to protect all areas, including our most protected areas.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farms have applied for grants under the Environmental Land Management Scheme in the last 12 months.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Rural Payments Agency published their Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-25 on 17 July 2025, which includes the most recent verifiable summary of Environmental Land Management scheme uptake.

Following the success of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 23 scheme, the SFI 24 Expanded Offer was launched in June 2024 where customers were invited to apply via an Expressions of Interest exercise similar to its predecessor. Once the scheme was opened to the wider public, 18,080 applications were submitted by 11 March 2025 when the scheme was closed to further applications.

12,081 livestock farmers applied for agreements worth £4.6 million for a vet to visit their farm for an Animal Health and Welfare review.

As of January 2025, there were approximately 45,000 live Countryside Stewardship agreements. This total includes over 13,500 Capital only agreements and around 31,500 Revenue agreements, of which just over 20,000 also include Capital options. This figure includes approximately 7,948 new Capital agreements received for the 2024 scheme year.

** Farm Businesses can apply for multiple Grants under the Environmental Land Management Scheme. The RPA ARA includes information up to 31 March 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made as assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the non-domiciled tax regime.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has removed the outdated concept of domicile status from the tax system and implemented a new residence-based regime from 6 April 2025.

The new residence-based regime is more competitive for new arrivals than the previous rules.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support regional economic growth across the UK.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Kick starting economic growth and ensuring that growth is felt in all regions of the UK is the number one mission of this Government. The government’s approach to regional growth will drive growth in city regions, towns and communities and make the most of the opportunities in each part of the country, to make everyone better off. There is excellence right across the country and this government is backing it: lifting living standards and putting more money in people’s pockets.

The recent Spending Review set out £15.6bn for some of our largest city-regions via the Transport for City Region settlements, with Tees Valley Combined Authority receiving £1bn funding improvements to Middlesbrough station and other local priorities. For places outside city-regions, the Local Transport Grant is receiving a fourfold increase in funding by 2029-30 compared to 2024-35. The new £410m Local Innovation Partnerships Fund will drive innovation excellence across the country, delivering R&D co-creation between local leaders and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Our new long-term local growth programmes which will invest in 350 deprived communities across the UK, funding interventions across community cohesion, regeneration and improving the public realm. We are also funding at least £725 billion of economic and social infrastructure across the country over the next decade, as set out in our new Infrastructure Strategy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with police forces on expressions of support for (a) Hamas and (b) Hezbollah at universities.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The investigation and prosecution of criminal offences, including determining whether an offence has been committed or not, is a matter for the police and Crown Prosecution Service, which are operationally independent.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of simplifying the tax code.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spring Statement 2025, the government is committed to simplifying the tax and customs systems to help support economic growth. In April, the government announced a package of measures to reduce administrative burdens, so businesses and individual taxpayers can spend less time on tax and customs administration and more time adding value to the economy. These changes were developed through close engagement with stakeholders and the government will bring forward further simplification proposals in the future.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the changes to business rates relief on (a) leisure, (b) hospitality and (c) retail businesses.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) business rates relief has been extended year-by-year by previous governments since the pandemic, creating uncertainty for businesses and an unsustainable fiscal pressure for Government.

Without any Government intervention, RHL relief would have ended entirely in April 2025, creating a cliff-edge for businesses. Instead, the Government decided to provide a 40 per cent discount to RHL properties up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business in 2025/26, ahead of intending to introduce permanently lower rates for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026/27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

The rates for these new RHL multipliers will be set at Budget 2025 so that the Government can take into account the upcoming revaluation outcomes, as well as the economic and fiscal context. When the new multipliers are set, HM Treasury intends to publish analysis of the expected effects of the new multiplier arrangements.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Bank of England's decision to retain interest rates at 4.25 per cent on the cost of public sector borrowing.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Treasury does not publish forecasts of the economy or public finances; the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the UK’s official forecaster and provides independent analysis of the UK’s public finances.

In March 2025 it was forecast by the OBR that debt interest spending would reach £111.2bn in 2025-26.

At the Budget last Autumn, the government set out a clear fiscal strategy to stabilise the public finances and underpin growth. The fiscal rules, which provide stability, help to keep interest rates low and prioritise investment to support long-term growth, are non-negotiable. This is the responsible choice – to reduce our levels of borrowing in the years ahead, so we can spend more on our public services, more on the priorities of working people and less on servicing debt.

The OBR will publish an updated forecast later this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans her Department has to review tax reliefs and their effectiveness.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Tax reliefs are an important feature of the UK tax system. Many tax reliefs help to define the scope of the tax and make sure that the tax system operates fairly while simplifying and reducing administrative burdens for businesses and individuals (structural reliefs). Others are aimed at encouraging certain behaviours or activities to support economic or social objectives (non-structural reliefs).

HMRC has invested significant resources in improving understanding of the cost and effectiveness of tax reliefs. Since 2019 it has produced:

• costings for 268 non-structural reliefs (of 344) and 82 structural reliefs;
• detailed analysis of the 38 largest non-structural reliefs that cost more than £500 million per year.

In addition, 24 evaluations covering 27 unique reliefs have been published since 2020.

HMRC’s approach to improving transparency around reliefs is proportionate, making the best use of resources.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) millionaires and (b) ultra-high-net-worth people who have relocated to other countries since 2020.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has removed the outdated concept of domicile states from the tax system and implemented a new residence-based regime from 6 April 2025. The new residence-based regime is more compatible for new arrivals than the previous rules.

The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note for this policy on 30 October. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-changes-for-non-uk-domiciled-individuals/reforming-the-taxation-of-non-uk-domiciled-individuals.

There have always been relatively large flows of non-doms in and out of the UK every year. The latest HMRC statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk/statistical-commentary-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk--2. These show the number of non-domiciled taxpayers in each tax year up to 2023/24.

We anticipate that some non-doms ineligible for the new regime will exit the UK in response to the changes. Taking this migration response into account, the OBR expects the non-dom reforms to raise £33.8 billion over the next five years to help fund the public services and investment projects needed to drive growth.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to non-domiciled tax status on the number of high-net-worth people living in the UK.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has removed the outdated concept of domicile states from the tax system and implemented a new residence-based regime from 6 April 2025. The new residence-based regime is more compatible for new arrivals than the previous rules.

The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note for this policy on 30 October. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-changes-for-non-uk-domiciled-individuals/reforming-the-taxation-of-non-uk-domiciled-individuals.

There have always been relatively large flows of non-doms in and out of the UK every year. The latest HMRC statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk/statistical-commentary-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk--2. These show the number of non-domiciled taxpayers in each tax year up to 2023/24.

We anticipate that some non-doms ineligible for the new regime will exit the UK in response to the changes. Taking this migration response into account, the OBR expects the non-dom reforms to raise £33.8 billion over the next five years to help fund the public services and investment projects needed to drive growth.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the number of people with non-domiciled status who have left the UK in each of the last five years.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has removed the outdated concept of domicile states from the tax system and implemented a new residence-based regime from 6 April 2025. The new residence-based regime is more compatible for new arrivals than the previous rules.

The Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note for this policy on 30 October. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-changes-for-non-uk-domiciled-individuals/reforming-the-taxation-of-non-uk-domiciled-individuals.

There have always been relatively large flows of non-doms in and out of the UK every year. The latest HMRC statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk/statistical-commentary-on-non-domiciled-taxpayers-in-the-uk--2. These show the number of non-domiciled taxpayers in each tax year up to 2023/24.

We anticipate that some non-doms ineligible for the new regime will exit the UK in response to the changes. Taking this migration response into account, the OBR expects the non-dom reforms to raise £33.8 billion over the next five years to help fund the public services and investment projects needed to drive growth.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with police forces on antisemitism at universities.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is committed to tackling antisemitic hate crimes and supports the police in taking robust action, wherever those crimes occur and whoever is responsible.